The Theory of Alchemy
by XantaClaus
Summary: Ed has turned 29, but he hasn't got a job or a wife, and has isolated himself. When a university offers him a position as a teacher, Al and Winry tell him to go in the hopes of him finding the will to live again. But Ed's going to teach in his own way.
1. Chapter 1

I don't know where the idea for this came from, but I love it!

Disclaimer for the whole story: I do not own Fullmetal alchemist.

**The Theory of Alchemy**

Year 1928, the Central University of Mathematics

In the middle of Central stood an old, enormous classic mansion with high, grand brick walls surrounding it and its paved courtyard and park. Massive, classy iron entrance gates were wide open, but no one was going in or out. The whole building seemed to be deserted but inside hundreds of young teens were sitting on lessons, chatting in the hallways, eating their lunch, picking up on freshmen… Only the long-term alchemy classes stood still, because the old professor had died at the age of 64 to a heart attack. (University does not comment on the cause.) And now, finding a new professor for the job was the fault of headmaster Richard Lyon's distress. Of course, he would never be the one to look for new candidates. He thought himself too important. Such things fell on the vice-headmaster's shoulders.

"It has been four weeks, and you're telling me that you found only four pathetic execuses for alchemists?!" Lyon growled trough gritted teeth, his face turning red from anger. The vice-headmaster didn't seem to be affected in any way. "If you want a former state alchemist for the job, those are all I can offer. Of course, there is still Edward El-" "DON'T START AGAIN! I will NOT hire a kid, prodigy or not!" The vice-headmaster's eyebrow twitched, but he continued in a calm tone. "He is already 29 years old, and-" "GET OUT, and start looking seriously!" Paul Stones turned around and stepped outside, but before he shut the door behind him, he looked back inside and gave Lyon a dull look. "It's either one of the four of them, or Edward Elric. Of course, Edward Elric has everything that they don't." With that he closed the door just in time to avoid a dart that got stuck in to the holey wooden door instead of the vice-headmasters skull. It obviously wasn't the first time Lyon sacrificed a part of his oak door's surface in the hopes of hitting the vice-headmaster even once.

On the other side of the door Paul sighed and massaged his temples. How he hated these conversations with the headmaster. They had been working together for years, but Lyon stood him as much as in the beginning.

"I'll call Elric anyways and tell him to come here. Maybe Lyon changes his mind when he meets him", he muttered under his breath and with a one last glance at the door with 'Headmaster' written in golden letters, he turned towards his own office.

Resembool had changed a great deal after Amestris had turned into a democracy. Now that the military and the police wasn't breathing on everybody's necks, they felt free to travel around their country and Resembool drew people like a magnet because of its beautiful four seasons, peaceful landscape and colourful history. Of course everyone also wanted to visit the former Fullmetal Alchemist's hometown! Resembool become a bustling city, especially in the summers, when people all over the country, even from neighbouring countries, came to experience the summer of Resembool. People moved in, and before the residents of Resembool even realized it, Resembool was second in size only to Central.

Winry and Alphonse Elric would never have believed what had happened to their hometown, if they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, but they weren't offended. There had been two choices for Resembool; either diminish or grow. This was absolutely the better option. But next you want to ask; "what do you mean by Winry Elric?!" Winry and Al are married! At the age of 21, Al dropped down to one knee and proposed to Winry. Pinako had cried and said that she was overjoyed to live long enough to see her granddaughter get married, because there was no denying that she was slowly withering away. The smoking was finally taking its toll, and shortly after Al and Winry's marriage Pinako passed away quite peacefully.

But what had happened to Ed? As you might have figured, Al had his body back and that meant that all the "Promised day crap" – as Ed liked to call it – was over. But everything didn't go as planned. Ed couldn't leave the military for years, because Mustang needed his help, and Al had to stay behind in Resembool to recover his strength. Winry had had enough of waiting and while Ed was away, she found new feelings towards Al. When Amestris' government was finally stable enough and Ed could leave at the age of 21, he found out that Al had stolen his woman. He lived in the Rockbell residence for a depressing year, but after Winry and Al's marriage he built a house on top of the old remains of his childhood home and moved in. No one could stop him, because after Trisha and Hohenheim had died he inherited the site. Now, at the age of 29, he had isolated himself from everyone else and thought that there was no future for him. He felt exhausted after all the things that had happened to him, and didn't find the energy to catch up with the outside world. No one visited him, except Al and Winry and their daughter Nina, who seemed to be scared of her uncle.

It had took some time for Ed to accept that his little brother handled life better than him and could survive without him. He missed traveling with his brother. He had always needed something to keep him occupied, and sitting all day long inside didn't help. Once again Ed was swelling in self pity when the phone rang. He eyed the phone dangerously and growled, waiting for it to stop ringing. It didn't. Grudginly he stood up from his worn out couch and reached for the receiver. Just a second he stared at his right arm that gleamed in the dimm light before picking up and answering: "Elric".

"_Ah, Edward Elric, I assume? This is Paul Stones. I hope you can share a little moment with me, because I'm offering you a job."_

"What kind of job?" Ed wasn't able to hide his interest, because he really needed one. Fixing people's stuff with alchemy kept him alive, but he missed having some extra cash. State alchemist's funding had been awesome…

"I am the vice-headmaster of the Central University of Mathematics, and we're missing an alchemy professor…" Ed snorted and dropped the receiver, leaving it hanging from its cord. 'Like I will teach some snotty brats.' He rolled his eyes and sat back to his couch.

"_Mr. Elric? Are you still there? Please answer me."_

Ed couldn't stop glancing at the hanging receiver and growling he went to change his clothes. In five minutes he left his house, his bristle unshaved and hair in a messy ponytail, but he didn't care as he started jogging down the path to the woods. He never put back the receiver and missed three persons walking towards his house.

"Brother, are you home?" Al opened the unlocked door and stepped inside, Winry and Nina following suit.

"He's not home, can we go now?" Nina whined, and tugged her mother from the sleeve towards the door. Winry sighed and glanced at Alphonse, who was staring at the hanging receiver.

"Somebody must've called, and brother went to the woods again", Al said while picking up the receiver. "Let's go, he probably won't come soon." They were already closing the door when the phone rang. Al stopped and stared at the phone.

"Ed's phone calls are none of our business", Winry said, guessing Al's thoughts.

"But I know that the message actually reaches Ed if I answer it. You know that he doesn't always pick up." With a few long strides Al was beside the phone and he brought the receiver to his ear.

"Alphonse Elric", Al said carefully.

"_Ah, the Edward Elric's younger brother! My name is Paul Stones. Is your brother around? I called him earlier, but it seems that the line doesn't work properly."_

Al wanted to chuckle for Stones' naivety. "Brother isn't here at the moment, but I could pass the message."

"_Well, I was offering him a job, but I really wanted to talk to him, so I'll just call another time."_

"Wait, a job? Can I ask what kind of job offer it was?" Al glanced at Winry, who looked surprised. They both knew how important this could be for Ed, and it was so like Ed for him not to understand it.

"Well, I am the vice-headmaster of the Central University of Mathematics, and we're short on one alchemy professor…" Al was stunned. Ed had got an offer from the best-known school in Amestris?

"I will talk to him. Thank you", Al hung up and stared at Winry. "The Central University of Mathematics wants Ed to be their alchemy professor." Winry's mouth hung open as she raised her eyebrows in disbelief.

"Mommy, what's a Central uni-something?"

"It's a school, dear", Winry said, but didn't look down.

"You go back home, I will wait for Ed", Al said, and sat on Ed's couch to emphasize his words. Winry nodded and guided Nina out of the house, leaving Al alone in the messy house.

"This place could do with a clean", Al thought aloud and shrugged. Why not? Ed wouldn't like him messing around in his house, but he wasn't messing, only cleaning. It was just hard to decide where to start. Everything was chaotic. Al grabbed the dirty clothes on the couch and searched the house for more, before piling them all to one spot. He opened every window and let the draught change the stale air with the fresh scent of August while wiping the dust off from Ed's shelves and tables. The carpets really needed a good dusting, but Al figured he didn't have time for that and went to the kitchen. Dishes were all over the floor and table, and Al shook his head. This would take a while.

When Ed came back, all sweaty and out of breath, he frowned at the sight of his every window being wide open. He didn't suspect burglars for long, because he didn't have anything worth stealing, and guessed it was just Al.

He didn't feel like greeting his brother, so he just stepped inside, stared at the pile of clothes on his floor for a second and pulled his sweaty one over his head and tossing it on top of the pile.

"Hi brother", Al said as Ed entered the kitchen and leaned to the wall with his arm, giving Al a questioning look.

"We decided to drop by, but when you weren't here, Winry and Nina left. I decided to do something about this mess", Al shrugged, being a little anxious for Ed to say something.

"What are you, my wife?" Ed said and rolled his eyes at his kitchen that was actually clean for once.

"No, but now when you mention it, you really seem to need one", Al said and got a nasty look from Ed. He didn't like the direction their conversation was going and quickly changed the subject to the most important issue at hand.

"I answered your phone call, and this Paul Stones guy told me that he had offered you a job." Ed's face hardened and his brows knitted together in an annoyed manner.

"You really should take that job. It's the leading university in Amestris and they'll pay well." Ed shook his head and walked to the table, sitting on it.

"I won't teach some snotty brats that think they can do anything. And it's in Central."

"You know that's not true. And it really isn't that much of trouble for you to move to Central, is it?" Ed didn't look Al in the eye, and Al sighed. Even after all these years, he still could read his brother like a book.

"You've just given up." He stated, blame evident in his voice.

"I have not!" Ed's eyes flared and Al saw some of that old Ed he missed, but it was gone as fast as it had appeared.

"Take that job and prove me wrong, then!" Al said and threw the rag he had been holding to the floor.

"Winry and I have been so worried over you, and when you finally could get a good job, you don't even see the possibilities!" Al shook his head in disappointment and stormed out of the apartment, leaving stunned Ed behind. Sighing, Ed picked the rag up and threw it to the sink. He stared it for a moment, before taking support from the sink with his both hands and bowed his head. You could almost hear his teeth grit together and silent curse words escape from his lips. Again, Al was right. His automail hand creaked, when it left dents to the sink and Ed stared it in disgust. He had let Al and Winry down more than once. He hadn't even been able to get his arm and leg back. And he didn't like the thought of leaving. Al and Winry were here... His closest family.

The next day Winry, Al and Nina were back again, and this time Winry had baked her infamous apple pie for Ed. He always said that he didn't need it or want it, but Winry and Al knew better. To their surprise Ed opened the door for them when they approached, instead of them entering and looking for him. A hide and seek that none of them enjoyed. Especially Nina.

"Hi", he grunted and eyed the pie with one raised eyebrow before turning around and walking to the kitchen. "You know you didn't need to bake for me." They ate in silence, but Winry and Al exchanged knowing looks when they both noticed how Ed tried not to swallow his piece whole.

"So, brother, what are you going to do about that offer?" Al started carefully, examining his brother's facial expressions, because he didn't want Ed to swear in front of his daughter. Ed's shoulders tensed at the question, but he let himself relax with a loud sigh before meeting Al's golden eyes.

"Maybe I could give it a chance." Winry and Al smiled happily, but when Ed started feeling uneasy under their gaze, Winry stood up and clapped her hands.

"Well, you can't go there looking like that! I'll give you a tune-up à la Winry!"

"No thank you", Ed grumbled, a bit scared of Winry's enthusiasm, and turned his head away when Winry gave him a nasty look, which made Winry even more annoyed.

"Just look at yourself, Ed! You look horrible!" Ed only sneered. "That made me feel so much better, thank you."

"Brother, she's just trying to help", Al's tone was scolding, but Ed still acted stubborn and refused to look at them. It sure was a beautiful day today… Al and Winry exchanged glances again, before Al stood up and was already guiding his family outside, when Ed suddenly said: "I don't even have any money to buy a suit for myself." Winry shook her head and laughed. "Don't worry. When you've got that job, you will have more than enough money to pay us back. It will be expensive, though", Winry's trademark smirk spread to her lips, which meant business. Al shook his head and opened the door.

"I'll leave you two alone." And with that Al and Nina was gone. But he really hated shopping…

"At first, take a shower, shave your bristle and brush your hair. Then we can get going", Ed was halfway to the shower when Winry finished her sentence. "And don't take too long!" Ed grimaced and pulled the door shut violently. "If I didn't know better, I would say that I have two wives", he grumbled under his breath when he turned the shower on.

In meantime, Al had made a call to the university.

"Hello, this is Alphonse Elric. I just want to tell you that my brother will accept the job. When will he start?"

"_Oh, that's great! There's still one thing, though. He has to survive the questioning of the headmaster before he will be accepted."_ Stones sounded sorry and Al sighed, praying to himself that Ed would for once behave.

"Okay. I will tell him that. When will the headmaster be ready to meet him?"

"_As soon as possible. Could he come the day after tomorrow? Or is it too soon?"_ Stones seemed a bit uneasy with Al's question, and he guessed that he didn't tell him everything.

"No, it's fine. Brother's used to leaving in a hurry. I or brother will call you again to tell when the train arrives at Central."

"_Good. Tell your brother that I can't wait to meet him. Goodbye."_

"I will. Goodbye." Al put the receiver down and stared in the distance. How was his brother going to survive from the questioning?

* * *

Next time: The questioning! I can't wait to write about the lessons... Ed won't be the easiest teacher. :D Please review.

Xanta Claus


	2. Chapter 2

Paul Stones couldn't stop smiling when he put the receiver down. He had been lucky that Alphonse Elric had picked up the phone yesterday, because it had made things much easier. Paul wasn't stupid, and he had figured that he would need to visit the Fullmetal alchemist personally, but thanks to Alphonse it wasn't necessary anymore. But now the next problem was…

"How the hell I'm going to get rid of the four other candidates?" He covered his face with his hands in frustration and shook his head. He couldn't offend former state alchemists; it would be his one way ticket to uncomfortable life. Sighing, he let his hands fall to his sides and he leaned backwards in his armchair. His brain was blank and he figured that he needed a break that he would never get. For how long had he been the vice-headmaster? Five years? And it was already wearing him out… Lyon really wasn't the best employer. Stones ran his fingers through his short dark brown hair and grimaced at the thought of the headmaster.

"Damn!" _'I don't have time for this.' _Paul shook his head to wake himself up like many times before and stared at the phone, forcing himself to come up with a plan. Time was money, money was power, and he didn't want to lose none of them.

'_Time for some manipulating'_, a mischievous grin spread to his lips.

Paul Stones had always been a good liar and an actor. Even when he was young, he always got what he wanted, because he had learned how to tie people around his little finger without them even noticing. If Amestris would have been a democracy when he started thinking about his future plans, he would've become a politician, but because he didn't dare to mess with the military, he chose to become a teacher instead.

"Hi again sir, about that position as an alchemy professor… yes… I just wanted to be sure that it is really okay that you will work with a minimal salary, when the recession is coming and all... What, I didn't remember to tell you about it? Oh, yes, I understand. We'll just find somebody else. Thank you for your time." Paul smirked and rubbed his hands together in excitement. One down, three to go and next was lieutenant colonel Hans Chadwell, who was famous for his pride as a good leader. But he had never been good at obeying orders.

"This is me, Paul Stones. Do you have a minute? Good, I just called to inform you about the fact that you are supposed to read all of the rules of the university. And we have a meeting every Friday, where headmaster Lyon gives us orders for the next week. He really likes to be in charge… I hope you won't arrange anything for Fridays, if you take the job. … Oh, really? That's a shame. Well, thank you anyways. Goodbye."

It didn't take long to get rid of all the other candidates, as Paul knew their weaknesses. After the calls, he was in such a good mood that he brought a cigar to his lips and lighted it in delight. His good mood was ruined though when he answered to the ringing phone and Lyon screamed in his ear.

"_Finally! Now that you were kind enough to answer the phone, would you please bring your lazy ass to my office?!"_

"Right away." Paul was so offended for Lyon ruining his mood that he smoked his cigar before leaving his office in no hurry. Lyon was already mad, so there was no point pleasing him with obeying when Paul would get the same scolding anyways.

"And what took you so long?" Lyon fumed when Stones finally decided to show up.

"I got this really important phone call…"

"Oh will you shut up! Just listen what I have to say, and be gone."

"I wasn't lying. A state alchemist called and said that he could come the day after tomorrow to meet you." Lyon stared in disbelief, before he squinted his eyes and hissed: "You've called the Fullmetal alchemist, haven't you?"

"I certainly have not! But I tell you, he is a very important person, and you have to make a good first impression", Stones stated and stepped outside before Lyon could even realize that he hadn't got a change to tell the thing he called Stones for in the first place. But he had to admit that this mysterious state alchemist had caught his interest. _'I'll persuade some information out of Stones tomorrow._' One glance at the clock told him that it was time to call it for quits for today. The day after tomorrow, eh..?

The next day passed quickly for both Ed and Stones, as Ed was gathering his things and Stones avoided Lyon's questions about the mysterious alchemist with the most exotic excuses.

"Brother, are you ready? We should start heading to the station already…" Al glanced at the clock nervously, and listened as Ed knocked something over and cursed loudly.

"I should have remembered that I and brother always ran to the station at the last minute… ", Al sighed and smiled apologetically to his wife and daughter.

"I'm ready!" Ed came behind the corner with the suitcase in hand and stormed out of the door, diving into Al's new black EZO-20 car. Al, Winry and Nina were right on his heels and soon they were driving towards the station.

"So, brother, have you called Gracia and Elysia and told them that you're coming for a visit while you're at Central?" Al gave quick glance towards Ed, who looked everywhere else than Al's eyes.

"I kinda… forgot. I had a lot of things in my mind, you know."

"Okay. I'll call them. Did you even sleep last night?" Al asked when Ed yawned, and Ed just shook his head and covered his wide open mouth with his hand.

"Nuhhuh. I guess I'll just sleep in the train… if somebody doesn't hijack it."

"Well, this time I won't be there to wake you up, so make sure you won't end up in Lior…" Ed looked worried for a second, before he shrugged and scratched his head.

"I'll try."

"Oh, and brother. About the questioning. Try not to be too sarcastic."

"Al, that's like telling me to hold my breath." Al rolled his eyes and focused on the road ahead, not wanting to start an argument with his brother.

* * *

Paul Stones arrived to the station early and sat to a nearby bench to read a newspaper that he had brought along. He was a little nervous, but he surely wasn't showing it. The biggest problem would be indentifying Edward Elric, as he wasn't a 15 years old boy anymore. Of course, blond hair and golden eyes were hard to miss, but he was worried about the fact that if Elric was still short, he wouldn't notice him in the crowd.

People passed him all the time and there were no quiet moments in the station, as people shouted to one another, trains' whistles rang in their ears and hundreds of feet were walking on the paved platforms.

"Train from Resembool to Lior arrives to the platform 4", Stones jumped out of his seat when the woman's monotone voice rang throughout the station and his heart started racing. This was it; the Fullmetal alchemist was coming… There he stood, glancing now and then to the distance, waiting to see the small silhouette of the train. First he thought that it was only his imagination, but when the other people standing at the platform seemed to notice the train as well, he smiled happily and hoped that the train would stop already and people would start going in and out. Slowly it sreeched to a halt and he waited, trying to keep an eye on every door. He soon realized that it was impossible to see when Edward Elric would step out. He figured that he had to wait till the crowd scattered. But he had this nagging feeling that something was wrong. There were less people now, but no sight of Edward Elric. Is he even in the train? He hesitated; should he go and check the carriages if he had fallen asleep, or would he wait? But from which carriage should he begin? The whistle blew, announcing the train's depart and slowly it started creeping forward. Paul panicked. Where was he?

"Geez, thank you for waking me up", Stones heard someone grumble and turned his head to see a young blond man jump out of the moving train with his luggage in one hand and a black long overcoat in another. He almost lost his balance, but he kept running forward, till he regained it and slowed down. There were only the two of them at the platform 4, and both were staring at each other. Stones cleared his throat and walked forward.

"You must be Edward Elric. Paul Stones, nice to meet you", Paul offered his right hand for Ed to shake, and he took it, mumbling something like "nice to meet you too", as he crushed Paul's palm with his automail. When Ed finally let go of Paul's hand, he pulled it back quickly and Ed laughed. "That's what you get from offering me your right hand", he said and raised his eyebrow, waiting for Paul to lead the way.

"Ah", how stupid he was for forgetting about his automail, "this way." Paul kept an eye on the ex-Fullmetal alchemist as he made his way through the mass of people and to his surprise he realized that Elric was almost a head taller than him. He was also getting some attention from the women as they passed by. Somehow it seemed that Elric didn't even notice, or just acted oblivious to the long glances and approving smiles.

"Is this like, if the poor guy doesn't get the job, at least he will get to sit in a real limousine?" Ed asked with a smirk and a cocked eyebrow as he watched the black, stylish limousine glide in front of them. When the driver was going to get out of the car to open the door for them, Ed lifted his right hand up and opened the door with his left one. He really didn't like when he was treated like some big celebrity, he could open a door by himself, thank you very much. He wanted respect, but not people who worshipped him.

"So, is this your own, or did you hire it to pick me up?" Ed asked, not caring if he seemed blunt. He just wanted to show that he wasn't impressed. Stones laughed nervously.

"You saw right trough me. I guess I just wanted to show that with the university's salary you can afford things like this." Ed shrugged, not really knowing how to continue the conversation without making a fool out of himself.

"So, have you visited the university before?" Ed looked thoughtful for a moment, before he snapped his fingers when he remembered.

"Oh yeah, I have visited your library when I was fourteen. I can't remember much, though. But I did get lost", he laughed. Paul chuckled and shook his head.

"That won't be your last time. The university's is quite big and it took me three months until I could stop asking for directions."

"You sound pretty confident that I'll get that job", Ed cocked his eyebrows.

"He has no other choice than to choose you." Edward didn't know what he should think of Stones' smirk, but it did send shivers down his spine, because it reminded him of that manipulative bastard colonel.

Lyon marched around his room nervously and once in a while stopped to look at his reflection in the mirror before starting to pace around again. He knew nothing about the former state alchemist, even though he had tried to ask about him from Stones multiple times. That sneaky bastard had avoided him the whole day. All Lyon knew was that he had this gut feeling, which told him that everything wasn't under his control. The clock on the wall showed 12:00am, when there was a knock at the door. 1 point for the state alchemist, he was on time.

"Come in", Lyon said and stared at the door intensely, waiting to see the former state alchemist's face. He knew every one of them by face, because secretly he almost worshipped every one of them. Stones stepped in first, and Lyon spotted a tall figure hover behind him, who had blond long hair… _"Edward Elric",_ he hissed under his breath as his grey eyes met golden. Minus ten points from Elric. Lyon gave Stones a murderous look, but didn't dare to say anything in front of the legendary Fullmetal alchemist. But to be honest, he looked older than 29. Well, maybe not physically, but the way he carried himself, his scarred face and cunning eyes made him look much more mature.

"You probably guessed already who I am. Nice to meet you, headmaster Lyon", Ed extended his right arm for Lyon to shake, but the headmaster hold out his left, which Ed eyed in amusement and shook it with his own left hand.

'_He has a firm shake… Now, what to do? I don't want to get to his wrong side, because he is a good friend of the president's and even knows personally the emperor of Xing.'_

"Please sit." Edward sat down to the red armchair in front of Lyon's table, but Stones preferred to stand in the corner. Lyon gave his vice-headmaster a quick glance before sitting his own leather chair and challenging the intense stare of golden eyes with his own.

"So, why do you want this post?"

"Because I'm the best you can find", Ed stated bluntly, keeping his trademark smirk hidden, because he thought that it wouldn't work on Lyon.

"And why might that be so?" Lyon scoffed and leaned back in his armchair like he was forced to do so. Elric's gaze was overpowering his.

"Unlike other former state alchemists, I'm evenhanded in all alchemy fields so I can give well-rounded lessons and I am demanding." Lyon looked at Stones to avoid Elric's eyes even for a second, before gathering his strength and shooting the alchemist back.

"And what are you going to do about your temper?" Ed refused to back down and he squinted his eyes in a threatening manner.

"I've learned to control it."

"No, you've just gotten taller", Lyon said and rolled his eyes, but to his surprise his words didn't have any effect on Elric.

"Our lessons last for one and half hours, and every teacher has 15 of them in a week on average." Now it was Ed's turn to roll his eyes.

"Are you trying to scare me off? How many all-nighters do you thing I pulled off when I was doing my research?" Lyon didn't like Elric's attitude, and tried to come up with something that would end this questioning quickly.

"I'm sorry, but I'm positive that you're not suitable as an alchemy professor…" Stones cleared his throat loudly and opened his mouth to speak.

"Actually, I think he is perfect. And you might want to know that all the others have informed that they're not willing to take the post anymore." Lyon's eyes widened and he asked hoarsely "what?" before the pieces fell together inside his head. Stones had done it again, and didn't leave any choices for Lyon.

'_If he wasn't so good at his job, I swear I would fire him…' _The headmaster growled and extended his left hand. "Congratulations, you have been accepted as the alchemy professor of the Central University of Mathematics. Vice-headmaster Stones will show you around." The Fullmetal alchemist laughed in amusement as he grabbed the headmaster's hand and shook it firmly.

* * *

Here you go, chapter 2! Next time: Ed visits Elysia and Gracia.

The awesome people who reviewed:

**CrimsonVixen33 **and **Horselvr4evr123**, Thank you! Was this update fast enough? :D

**DemonRaily**, Great, I hope you will not lose your interest.

**Vi-Violence**, I hope this chapter met your expectations.

And the other readers, feel free to review! I will answer you all.

-Xanta Claus


	3. Chapter 3

I lied to you. No Gracia or Elysia in this chapter, sorry. But they will be in the next one, I promise! And to someone who asked about Ed never being on the other side of the gate: **This story is MANGABASED.**

Chapter 3

"I'm glad that he chose you", Stones said when they left the fuming headmaster alone in his office.

"Don't give me that. I saw how that fat–oh, I'm terribly sorry, _the headmaster_-", Ed didn't look too sorry for his slip, "looked at you. You did something, didn't you?" Ed glanced at Stones as they walked down the corridors of the university. Paul looked surprised for a second and missed a step, but then he laughed: "Well yeah, I have to admit that-""This university sure is flashy!" Ed said a bit too loudly and Stones eyed him warily, not really understanding this newly hired professor. First he seemed interested, and now he acted like he didn't care how Paul answered. Maybe he didn't want to admit that he should thank Paul, or was he just messing around with him?

"Well, of course we are very proud of our old university, which has a long history and-""So, where's the dining hall?" Ed cut his speech again, and Stones found his behavior very strange, even a bit offending.

"Actually, it's more like a restaurant. Follow me." Stones had no idea that Ed wasn't interested in his bragging and that this was his way of screaming to his face "I'm not fucking interested!"

"So, where are you staying right now? Or do you have an apartment already?"

"I'm staying in a hotel close by. When will I get my schedule?" Ed was blunt as ever and Stones decided that it was impossible to have a light conversation with Edward Elric, as it felt like the alchemist shot down his every attempt to chit-chat. Occasionally Stones pointed out some classrooms, but both knew that Ed wouldn't remember them anyway, so most of the time they walked in silence.

"Hello Mr. Stones!" An energetic girl jumped out of nowhere in front of them and waved to her vice-headmaster with enthusiasm. Even though she had that same uniform every student wears, she really stood out from the crowd with her obviously dyed pink hair in two ponytails on the both sides of her head and pink and black school bag. Ed eyed her suspiciously and thought that she was utterly absurd and ridiculous. He missed the fact that she was very beautiful, as all of his attention was in her pink long hair.

"Oh, hi Lilibeth", Stones said warily and rolled his eyes, which Lilibeth didn't seem to notice, or just ignored it.

"How many times do I have to tell you that it's Lolly?" "Lolly" seemed to pout, but the frown disappeared when her eyes locked to Ed's and her face lit up with happiness.

"Who are you? You have amazing eyes! Are they real? Or did you use alchemy on them? How did you do it? I'd love to have golden eyes, brown really doesn't fit pink, you know", she babbled and Ed grimaced. What the hell was wrong with her?

"Oh well, it really doesn't matter. I have to go to the next class now. See you, Mr. Stones!" She flashed a naïve, shining smile before dashing off and leaving one stunned alchemist behind. Ed shook his head and stared at Stones, waiting for some kind of explanation.

"Lilibeth Haynsworth… You've probably heard the surname before, am I correct?", Ed nodded, "The family wants her to become a calm, cunning woman who will inherit the family business. But as you saw, she isn't interested in such things. She has all the capabilities to become almost anything, but not so many teachers stand her and she is more interested in helping people and animals… And she is in your classes." Ed sighed and shook his head. Haynsworth family was famous for its high quality leather and fur products, and even the leather pants that he wore during his teen years had been Haynsworth's. Lilibeth was unlucky to be born to such a family if she was an animal lover.

"You see, she even dyes her hair with alchemy."

"Well really? I hope she knows what she's doing, or her hair will fall out when she turns thirty", Ed pointed out matter-of-factly and continued walking to the supposed direction of the dining hall alias restaurant deep in thought. Lilibeth's smile reminded him of Elysia Hughes, and that made Ed remember that he was supposed to visit Elysia and Gracia.

"… so, are you ready to start tomorrow?" Stones voice finally reached his brain and Ed turned his head quickly towards him, like he had been slapped awake.

"What? Oh. I thought I would visit some old friends tomorrow, though…"

"I assure you, you don't want to miss even a day, because the lessons are already behind schedule. I'm looking forward to see how you will manage." Ed didn't like the smile Stones gave him and doubted his decision to become a teacher the hundredth time today. Could it really be that bad?

"Oh well, I'll just visit them in the evening, then", he shrugged and looked to the direction Stones' hand pointed out.

"The restaurant is down there. Your own classroom is on the second floor, there's the staircase. You will find the exit to the courtyard when you go down that corridor and turn right."

"Thanks. I guess we'll see tomorrow?" Ed turned his shoulder towards the direction of the exit and waited for Stones' dismissal. He didn't realize that it really wasn't needed, but he was used to it after serving for nine years in the military. Stones found this very amusing and lifted his hand up.

"Yes. Come to my office tomorrow at 8:00 o'clock, and I will give you your schedule." Ed nodded and turned around to leave, but he didn't take too many steps when he spun around to ask: "Where is your offi-?" But to his surprise Stones was nowhere in sight. Ed scratched his head in wonder and shrugged before turning away again. _''I'll just have to ask for directions tomorrow.' _But poor Ed didn't have any idea just how difficult asking directions could become until tomorrow.

Next morning

Of course our favorite alchemist was once again in a hurry. Not because he had overslept, but because he didn't find his things from his trunk and was spotted by a group of people, who started chit-chatting with the infamous former state alchemist. Ed had listened to them for four minutes, trying politely to get away, but when it was proved useless, he pushed his way through and half ran, half walked away as fast as he could.

The university was bustling with life. Students rushed to their classes, ate their breakfasts, or talked with friends as they waited for the school's bell to ring.

"Great", Ed panted as he arrived to the iron gates, "five minutes to get to the office, where in the hell that even is." He didn't have the time to catch his breath, just tapped a young man's shoulder and asked for the vice-headmaster's office. The man seemed glad to help and Ed thanked, before rushing off. If he had taken a better look at the man, he would've realized that he was lying, but now he was hopeful about getting to the office in time...

"What the hell?" Ed stared at the doors, which read everything else but Vice-Headmaster Stones. How did he end up in the kitchens?

'_I probably missed something.'_

"Excuse me, where is the vice-headmaster's office?" Ed asked the closest female student, who told the directions with a wide grin. Ed thanked again, and half ran away when he glanced at the clock that showed 8 and the school bells rang. The woman giggled in glee when she watched Ed disappear behind a corner.

Ed stared at the doors that lead to the background with mixed emotions. He was growing both desperate and angry, when he spotted a familiar pink haired woman coming towards him.

"Mrs. Haynsworth!" Ed said with happiness clear in his voice, even though he had thought yesterday that he would never be happy to meet her again.

"Hi, the-person-whose-name-I-don't-know! But please call me Lolly. Are you lost?" Ed rolled his eyes and answered sarcastically.

"Of course not, I'm just getting a good exercise running all these stairs up and down." Lolly nodded like she actually believed what Ed said. "Okay, then I guess you don't need my help. I hope the next time we need I will get to know your name", she waved goodbye and turned away as Ed kept staring at her in disbelief.

"It's Edward Elric", he was finally able to say and Lolly spun around. "Is what?" Ed gritted his teeth. "My name. I'm Edward Elric, and yes, I'm lost, could you tell me how I can find the vice-headmaster's office?"

Lolly stared at him for a while, before she squealed.

"Really? What are you doing here? Could you possibly be the new professor? That´s so great!" Ed took a step back and was half expecting for Lolly to glomp him, but she stopped right in front of him when there were only few inches separating the two of them.

"Where is Stones' office?" Ed asked again, and backed away few more steps.

"Oh, poor you. You've been asking for directions, haven't you? You know, we students have all agreed not to tell the right directions, if they aren't students or don't work for the university. So, are you the new professor?" When Ed nodded, she flashed that childish smile of hers and promised to escort him there.

"Thanks, but shouldn't you be on some lesson?" Ed lifted his eyebrows and Lolly laughed.

"I should, but when the teacher himself is right here, there's no point for me to sit in class."

"Ah, I should be teaching you and your classmates right now?" Ed shook his head in disbelief. It really seemed that the university was desperate about getting the classes running again.

"You're finally here, I see", Stones said when Ed entered his office.

"I got lost."

"I see, I see… Well, here's your schedule and books you're teaching from. Now, rush to your classroom, you have students to teach", Ed found himself stepping out of the office with a pile books and papers in hand, and he stared at them in disbelief.

"What the hell?" Ed turned around to eye the door like he was going to go back in and say few words about how he didn't tolerate it when he was treated like this. Luckily to Stones, Lolly was still around and she grabbed his hand and started dragging him towards the classroom while talking something about people who had been waiting for the alchemy classes to start again.

"Could you let go of my arm?" Ed really didn't like being pulled around and snatched his arm away when Lolly loosened her grip. "_Thank you_", he pressed the words and rolled his eyes, but Lolly just flashed that naïve grin of hers. "You're welcome." Ed stared at Lolly's back in disbelief as she kept walking forward. Was this young woman really this simple or was she playing around with him?

"You coming?" She turned around and Ed shook his head as he walked to her, even though he wanted shout: 'What the hell is wrong with you?!' He didn't know when he would become used to her, but hopefully he probably isn't going to see her for too many times in a week.

"Here we are!" She said and opened the door to the classroom, which Ed saw for the first time. And his first impression of it was that it was dusty, a bit too dim and his chair didn't look comfy. It had enough space, but the staring of about 20 students made him feel uneasy.

'_What the hell, am I scared of few snotty brats?'_ Edward straightened his back to a military-like bearing and felt right away more confident. Lolly went to sit to a free desk and Ed let all of the books and papers slam to his until now empty desk. He had no time to read those books now to find out what he was expected to teach, so he had all the rights to improvise. Like he probably would do in the future as well. He liked to do things his way.

"Greetings to you all. I'm Edward Elric, and I guess I don't need to tell you anything about me, as you should know all that's necessary", Ed flashed a wide grin, "and those who don't… Well, it's not my problem, 'cause at least I sure as hell know who I am." Some of the students smiled in amusement, but their faces become serious when Ed stopped smiling. "I am your teacher, and I am here to guide you to the depths of alchemy that you would have never believed even existed." Ed walked in front of his desk and then sat on top of it, leaning to the desk with his hands. "Of course, only those, who I find ambitious and talented enough, will have the opportunity for that." Ed turned his head sideways and eyed the students from the corner of his eye with a sly smile.

"Those who think that homunculi are real and have existed, raise your hands now." The pupils eyed each other, but no one raised their hands and Ed snorted. He still kept his face pointed towards the door.

"They did. I've seen them, fought them, and killed them. I even know how to create one." Ed studied carefully at their expressions, noting the ones who seemed scared out of their minds and them, who seemed thrilled. He didn't want to teach neither of them about philosopher's stone or homunculi, because he knew that they would act recklessly with the knowledge.

"Question number two. Has the philosopher's stone ever been made?" Again, the students exchanged glanced and someone shook his head. Ed saw this and turned his head towards the young man, narrowing his eyes.

"And what makes you think that?"

"It's just impossible. Something that can bypass equivalent exchange?" Ed stared at the young man blankly. "What's your name?" "David Keller." "Keller… Relative of Clark Keller, possibly? Son, perhaps? Yes, I've met your father and I have to say, you both are gits." Someone giggled and David was fuming, but Ed didn't care.

"Yes, it has been made. More than once. I've seen multiple ones, hold one in my hands and used it, I even know how to make it, but I've decided not to create one. It's not like I couldn't, but let's say that I don't actually like how it's made." A hesitant hand was raised, and Ed raised his eyebrows, before nodding.  
"What about human transmutation?" Ed cocked his head and gave a laugh.

"Yes, I will tell you more about it sometime, believe me, I know a lot about it, but now as we are running out of time, I want you to do just one thing before you can go." Ed stood up and walked to the chalkboard, starting to write questions. "I want you to answer these questions to a paper and bring it to me when you leave the classroom. And I do not want to see nameless papers."

"Aren't you supposed to call out our names to see who were absent?" Ed didn't turn around to look who had asked that, he kept writing as he answered: "I don't feel like I have to worry about people who were arrogant enough not to show up, it's their loss anyway." Ed stopped for a second and stared at the ceiling before laughing. "I just partly insulted myself, didn't I? I was late, but at least I didn't skip the whole lesson because of that!" He finished the sentence he was writing and stepped out of the way so the students could read the questions.

_Your fucking name and class here, don't you forget it!_

_1. Your favorite school subject? (Tip: Alchemy)_

_2. Why did you choose alchemy?_

_3. What alchemy field do you find the most interesting?_

_4. What are you aiming for? _

_5. What kind of sacrifices are you ready to make for alchemy?_

Ed kept an eye on the students, reading their expressions as they tried to answer the questions. He knew that some could find these questions very hard to answer, but he wasn't interested in them anyways. He wanted to find the talented and ambitious students among them.

Ed's second lesson was pretty much the same as the first, but then he grew tired of repeating the same things over and over. When the last lesson of the day came, he didn't give a damn about teaching anymore. He snapped at the students about everything and let them start answering to the questions early, so he could leave the university as fast as possible. He wondered how he would have enough energy to visit Elysia and Gracia in the evening.

* * *

About Lolly: She is kind of a lolita, the first ever in Amestris, and of course Ed will find her absurd, as he had never seen someone like her before.

And thanks to:

My beta, Katza!

The awesome people who reviewed!:

**DemonRaily, Shiqur3' **and **Horselvr4evr123**, I'm glad you like it! I'm trying to update this story once in a week.

**CrimsonVixen333**, Thanks for your compliment! This story is based on the manga, and in the manga Ed hasn't been to the other side. (At least not yet.)


	4. Chapter 4

The city was as jammed as in the morning, because most of the people were coming from work at 4pm and thanks to that, it took half an hour for Ed to get to the hotel, even though there was only one kilometer to walk. When he finally could kick off his shoes and take off his jacket, he sighed in relief and collapsed to the brown couch.

"I could kill for a bottle of beer", he muttered and rubbed his face with his left hand, trying to stay awake. The clock showed 16:42, and Ed considered the possibilities. If he didn't go to the shower now, he would be on time to eat dinner with Elysia and Gracia. He would also save some money if he went, because he wouldn't have buy food for himself.

"I better go… If I can get up first", Ed yawned and stretched out his hands, not really wanting to leave the comfy couch he was sitting on. He knew that he had to go down two staircases to make a call to Gracia so he showing up wouldn't be a surprise and it is highly possible that he will forgot something, which means that he would have to come back up.

Ed inhaled deeply and pushed himself up with his arms even though the soft couch gave in so much that his arms just sank into it, which made getting up way harder. He pulled his hair loose when he walked to the bathroom and splashed some water to his face, trying to wake himself up. All it made though was get his bangs and shirt wet.

"Wonderful", he grumbled and dried his face to a towel, but he sniffed it first to be sure that it was clean. He really didn't trust hotels that much, because it wouldn't have been the first time they tried to fool him with unwashed towels. It didn't take too long for Ed to change his shirt and collect everything he thought he needed; little money for the call and presents, and the hotel room's keys. He grabbed his long black overcoat and let the door close behind him with a click.

* * *

"Excuse me, I'd like to make call", Ed said to the lady behind the desk and thanked when she gave him the receiver. He searched his pockets for the piece of paper that had Gracia's phone number in it, but to his dismay he realized that he had left it to the hotel room.

"Do you have a telephone directory?" He held back the urge to swear when she shook her head and Ed put the receiver down. Seriously? And this was supposed to be a good hotel. "I'll be right back", he said before disappearing to the staircase with few long strides.

"Good exercise going these stairs up and down", he grumbled when he remembered what he had said to Lilibeth earlier today.

It took only seconds for Ed to find the number from his room, because he had left the piece of paper to the table so he absolutely wouldn't forget to take it. – Which he still did. – He grabbed the paper angrily and closed his fist around it, directing all his resentment to it as if it had insulted him gravely.

* * *

Gracia Hughes was cooking dinner with her daughter, who was explaining – or more like arguing – why she wanted more spices into the food, when the phone rang. Gracia eyed her daughter warily, a bit afraid that she would add the spices while she was at the phone, but left her alone, because the demanding ring of the phone continued.

"Hughes", she answered and sat to a nearby chair, waiting for a response.

"_Gracia? This is Edward. I think Alphonse called to inform you that I'm coming to Central and I wondered if I could drop by to say hello."_ Gracia's face lit up with genuine happiness when she remembered Al's call and nodded, as if Ed could have seen her.

"Of course! I and Elysia were just cooking dinner, and you could eat with us if you want. Elysia's boyfriend is coming too." Elysia came to the doorway when she heard her name and moved her lips soundlessly: 'who?', but Gracia just shook her head.

"_I'd love to. So, is it okay that I show up at six?"_

"Yes, but you can come earlier, if you want." Elysia was trying to murder her mother with her glare, but waited for the call to end before saying anything. Gracia didn't even notice, because she was so happy that Edward had finally made real contact with the outside world.

"_Okay. Well, see you soon."_ The call ended with a click and Elysia opened her mouth within the same second: "Just who did you invite? Mom, you promised that this time it would be only the three of us! Last time you called the neighbours, and before that some senile man that you had met while buying flowers!"

Gracia lifted her hand up: "Watch your tongue, dear. Do you remember when Alphonse called? When he said that Edward would come to Central?"

"Wait, Ed's coming? Did he get that job that Al mentioned?" Elysia's irritation was gone and she was smiling brightly.

"We'll find out soon enough." An odd odor drifted from the kitchen. "Elysia?" The young woman giggled and disappeared behind the door.

* * *

Ed glanced at the clock and the exit, trying to decide if he would wait a while or leave right now. _'If I take a taxi, I will be there too early, but if I walk…'_ The thought of elbowing his way through the mass of people didn't sound too appealing, but he didn't want stay in the hotel either.

"I better get going", he finally said to himself and pulled on his long black overcoat, then finishing his elegant look with a white and grey scarf to protect himself from the chilly autumn wind.

The traffic was as bad as when Edward came from work, but it was understandable, because the hotel he was staying at was only a few blocks apart from the main street of Central. People walking in the streets seemed like a one big mass of grey and black, with few brighter colors here and there. The crowd moved along the street like nothing could tear it apart. The mass moved in two directions, up and down the street, and Ed didn't feel like going in the middle of the flow. He had learned that it is surprisingly hard to get away from it when people keep walking forward when you would want to get past them and you will always bump into someone and probably the one you stumbled upon happens to drop everything she was carrying. Which leads to the responsibility of picking up the stuff she dropped. Or what is left of it, because the flow doesn't stop even if there is someone's stuff is on the ground and dozens of feet can do a lot of damage. So, open up your wallet and pay up for the stuff that got trashed!

Just imagining it made Ed growl in annoyance and with a sour look in his face he let himself to be pulled to the flow and soon he was surrounded by dozens of unknown people, but he didn't pay attention to them, nor did they to him. The dark, wet and cold autumn makes people feel down and all they wanted was to get to their warm homes soon, except the pickpockets, who loved to walk within the masses. All day long they looked for opportunities to steal someone's wallet or purse. People were aware of this threat and including Ed, everyone had a firm hold of their belongings. Ed picked up his pace, because he wanted to be at the Hughes' early and the faster he got out of this mass of people, the better.

Gracia and Elysia had moved from their old house to a smaller one, because after Maes Hughes had died, they hadn't had enough money to live in such a big house. When they moved, they decided to change the city as well and moved to Central, because Gracia needed a job and many of their friends had moved to Central as well during the years. But the past years hadn't been easy for them, because Gracia hadn't had any education for any job. She had been doing household chores as long as she could remember, first in her childhood home and then as a housewife, and now she had to pay the rent and Elysia's school fees. If Mustang hadn't helped them, they wouldn't have survived. Mustang hired Gracia as his cleaner and cook, and paid her well, so she would have enough money to survive. The amount of money Mustang paid her was something that any other cleaner could only dream of. Elysia took part-time jobs to help her mother also, but Gracia made her drop them, because her studies suffered and she was always tired. But now things were starting to look good for them: Elysia has got a boyfriend and they finally have gathered enough money to buy their home to themselves.

Ed had heard about their struggling to survive from Alphonse, and thought about bringing flowers with him, because he felt that was the least he should do. Ed started looking around, trying to find a florist. He was sure that there was one, and when he caught a glimpse of colourful stand, he elbowed his way through, and didn't look back to check if he had made someone topple over. This was Central: no one expected anyone to help, so why would he? Central made him always feel irritated, and the sour faces of the citizens didn't help any. At least the young florist smiled to him when he approached. Her smile died soon enough when Ed didn't seem to be too happy with the high prices and walked away without buying anything.

"Like I would pay 100 cens for a bunch of tulips. Ridiculous", he snorted and looked at one of the few bushes along the street that tried to make the street look fresher. They would have, if the bushed had been cut better. But now their branches spread out to every possible direction and Ed stared at one of them in disgust. He felt like he should do something to them, and he got an idea. Grinning, he clapped his hands together and placed them on the bush, which then glowed brighter than any street lamp and the electricity cracked around it like a lightning. People jumped back, as if the bush was trying to attack them, and eyed Edward suspiciously and angrily. Some had even fallen to the ground and they stood up quickly, but no one took their eyes of the man and the glowing bush. It was over soon enough, the whole transmutation took only 5 seconds, and before Ed stood a neatly cut bush with a touch of Ed's hardcore design skills and in his hand was a beautiful bunch of colourful flowers that were literally unique: Ed didn't feel like he should have made them look like any ordinary flowers. A quick glance around told Ed that he should flee the scene before anyone could critique his taste, and he casually walked away, trying to blend in the crowd, the bunch still in hand.

Nobody pursued him, and he got to walk in peace to Hughes', which was a relief for him. He had to ask for directions once, because he hadn't personally visited Gracia and Elysia's new home, but Al had told him the address. Even though the street was called Elm Avenue, he didn't see any trees and the street seemed dull in all ways. The ground was grey, the buildings were grey and the fences were grayish brown.

'_It must be depressing to live in a place like this'_, Ed thought sadly and entered the four-story apartment, looking for the name 'Hughes' in the doors. An elderly woman passed him in the staircase, but she didn't even look at the young man, nor take notice of his presence in any other way. Ed was a bit surprised about this and raised an eyebrow, but just shook his head and continued searching for the right door. When he finally spotted it, he rang the bell and waited. He heard someone rattle with the lock and then the door opened, revealing a young woman with bright green eyes and light brown hair pulled up to a high ponytail. She had an oblique forelock that came down to her jaw and in Ed's opinion she looked like one of those movie stars even in that white t-shirt with a low neckline and light blue skirt.

"Elysia?" Ed hadn't seen her in what, 10 years or more?, and he really wasn't sure if it was her. Her girly giggle gave her away and she gestured him to come in.

"It's so good to see you! We've been so worried, from what Alphonse always told over the phone…" Ed raised an eyebrow at her and she startled, looking around nervously. "But it's really great to see you!" Elysia squealed and hugged Ed, who almost dropped the flowers in surprise. It had been years since he was hugged, and when Elysia lunged at him, his instincts had told him to dodge the attack or strike back. Good for Elysia, he was able to stop himself in time.

"Oh, Edward!" He heard someone say, and saw Gracia's gentle face, and noticed right away how old and tired she looked. Ed cleared his throat and Elysia let go, but didn't seem to be embarrassed at all.

"Hello, Gracia", he greeted and patted Elysia on the head when he walked past her. She puffed out her cheeks in order to express her annoyment with Ed's gesture but she only looked adorably cute doing so. "I really didn't know what to bring, but I felt like I had to bring something, so I thought that every woman likes flowers", He said and gave the flowers to Gracia, who inspected them with a wondering look in her face.

"Hey, don't treat me like I'm still a kid!" Elysia snapped behind him and Ed turned around with a fake amazed look on his face.

"What, you aren't? But I really can't think of you without imagining that little knee-high girl with a toothy smile."

"Well, compared to you I was hip-high", Elysia said, knowingly trying to irritate Edward, but he just laughed.

"So true, but see, I'm a head taller than you even now. " That was when Elysia noticed that Ed was actually towering over him even though she was tall and had her high heels on. He was even taller than her mother. Elysia couldn't come up with a comeback, so she just eyed him like she was deeply hurt, even though her eyes were shining with laughter.

"Edward, what are these flowers? I've never seen anything like these", Gracia asked as she picked one of the flowers from the bunch and looked it all over. Elysia also took one to her hands and stared at it in disbelief.

"Unique", he just answered, and Gracia shook her head. "I can see that, but how did you get these?" Ed only grinned widely.

"What, you didn't have enough money to buy real ones?" Elysia teased, and Ed shrugged. "I thought those would be nice." Gracia glanced at her daughter, before saying: "Of course they are! I'll go get a vase for them; you take your coat off and make yourself feel at home." Ed obeyed and looked at Elysia, who stood in the doorway, obviously waiting for him to get is coat off so she could show him around.

"So, when will this boyfriend of yours arrive?" He asked while putting his coat to a hanger and Elysia smiled warmly. "He should be here in 20 minutes. But before that, I want to show you our little home!" She gestured him to follow, and disappeared behind a corner. The first room was the living room with a little worn out red couch in the left corner, a full bookshelf on the right with an armchair next to it and dining table and chairs right in front of them, under a small window. The room was pretty small, but it was warm and Ed felt like he had to pick up a book from the shelf and start reading in that comfy armchair. The next was the bathroom, that was pretty narrow and for a huge guys like Armstrong it would be quite a feat to use. Next to it were Elysia and Gracia's rooms. Elysia's room was tidy enough with a bed, worktable, wardrobe, and a poster of some celebrity Edward didn't recognize. The room was small and didn't have that much living space, but Elysia seemed to be happy with it.

Gracia's room was like any parent's room: filled with Elysia's handiwork and pictures of her only daughter, and also of his deceased husband. Elysia noticed how Ed's expression changed to painful when he looked at the pictures of Maes Hughes and led him away, thinking if Ed still thought it was his fault that Maes died.

Gracia was in the kitchen when Elysia ended the tour around their home and smiled at them warmly, asking for some help with setting the table. Ed was ready to help, but Elysia ran to the door when the doorbell rang.

"David! How was your day?"

"Quite ok, I guess. We finally have a new alchemy professor. I thought the classes would be interesting, but he was a complete idiot. He thinks that my father is a git and me, too!" Ed almost dropped the plate he was holding and his eyes widened in surprise. Of all the people in the world, Elysia's boyfriend…

"You, a git? He definitely doesn't know what he is talking about. Just who does he think he is?" Gracia was trying to read Edward's thoughts when she saw his expression.

"Your father was in the military, right? You've probably heard of him… He is-" "Me", Ed stepped behind the corner and put up a fake smile that he had used multiple times in the past to annoy certain ex-colonel, nowadays the president of Amestris.

"You! What are you- Elysia, why is he here?" Elysia was speechless, so Edward decided to open his mouth.

"I knew their father, and I and my brother happen to be long time friends with Gracia and Elysia." Ed leaned to the wall with his arm and cocked his head to the side, amused by the shade of red David's face was. The young man didn't seem to want to pick up a fight in front of Elysia, and he decided to ignore Edward, turning towards his girlfriend instead.

"These are for you", he said and gave a bunch of red and white flowers to her. Ed's brows furrowed when he looked at the flowers.

"You should be more careful with the details; I can see from all the way from here that they are made with alchemy." David stomped his foot to the floor and shouted "That's it!" before turning swiftly towards Edward, looking like he was ready strike him down.

* * *

I'm So Sorry! My teachers tried to drown me in homework and exams, so I had no time to even think about writing a new chapter. Then, there was Christmas... But now, when all this crazy stuff is finally over, i got to write this new chapter. I personally don't like how this turned out, but I'm too lazy to write the whole thing all over again.

**The Awesome People Who Reviewed:**

**DemonRaily**, Don't worry, I have almost everything planned out. Just wait for more chapters to come, and you will (hopefully) understand. And by the way, I lost my night's sleep after I read your review. ;)

**Shigur3'**, Thanks, it's always great to hear when people like my stories. (:

**AnimeFanGirl167**, I like your idea xD I actually might use it. If I remember to.

**Vi-Violence**, So do I... I'm still working on the details. (And you never know how they will turn out...)

Thanks to the people who reviewed and hope you enjoyed!

-Xanta Claus


	5. Chapter 5

The only sound in the narrow room was David's breath, as he inhaled deeply and eyed daggers at his new alchemy teacher, who looked at him in amusement.

"Did you just stomp your foot? I thought that only girls do that kind of stuff", Ed tried to keep a straight face, but the corners of his mouth twitched and his lips pulled back to show a row of pearly white teeth.

"That is enough!" Gracia's strong voice rang in the air with such authority that even Ed's smile disappeared, and he turned around to stare Gracia in disbelief, as if he couldn't believe that this kind, motherly woman could have a tone like that.

"C'mon", Elysia pleaded and tried to pull David behind her to the living room, but David walked slowly, cautiously, keeping an eye on the ex-state alchemist. Ed knew that the youngster tried to come up with a good snide mark, but couldn't come up with any. That didn't mean that Ed couldn't.

"Girlie", he whispered when David walked past him and chuckled, but Elysia dug her heel to his shoe and gave him a murderous look before David could respond. Ed grimaced, as if he felt the pain, but Elysia had forgot which leg was the tender one. All that suffered from the heel was the shoe's surface. He didn't feel like pointing that out to Elysia, because she might come right back and stick her heel to his right foot this time.

"Please sit", Gracia seemed to have forgotten what had happened just a while ago, but Elysia and David looked still grim. Their bad mood made Ed grin even more. When everyone was seated around the table, Elysia and David sitting next to each other and Gracia and Edward on the other side of the table, they started eating in silence. Edward and David seemed to be okay with it, but Elysia and Gracia glanced now and then towards Edward and David, waiting for someone to start a light conversation.

"So, Edward, How are things in Resembool?" Gracia finally asked, and Ed straightened his back, ready to answer the question he had known to come.

"Bustling with life, as always, but things are slowly calming down now because the summer season is coming to an end. To think that I would get lost in my hometown nowadays! Resembool sure is still growing, and I have no idea if it's ever going to slow down. Winry and Al are doing fine, as are all of my childhood neighbours, even though people come every week to ask if they can buy our lands." Gracia gave him a puzzled look, and he sighed. "You see, our houses are pretty close to the town center, and people would love to demolish our houses and build shops in their places. We've decided not to sell, though." Gracia nodded approvingly, but David sneered. "So, you are willing to live in the center of the city, knowing that you will never get any privacy and rest from the never sleeping city? It kind of loses the conveniences of an own detached house." David laughed to himself, obviously finding Edward's words absolutely ridiculous. Ed gave him a murderous look, but didn't let himself to be pulled to an argument that David was hoping for.

"You hear him talking like that, and you still think he's not a git?" Edward turned his attention to Elysia, skillfully ignoring David, whose turn was to try and kill him with his glare. But Elysia had become defensive of his boyfriend, and she lifted her chin up, clearly annoyed by Ed's manners.

"Actually, I agree with him." The smirk that spread to David's face was so disgusting that Ed felt like punching David's perfect white teeth into his throat. He was so proud of his girlfriend that he didn't take a better look at Elysia's eyes, which were telling the truth. She was as bad of a liar as ten years ago, and this annoyed Ed even more. Why she had to lie for a guy like him?

"Why a rich, spoiled kid is interested in common people anyways, especially a widow's daughter? Because of her father's rank?" Ed regretted his words right after he had said them, and his rage disappeared. His face turned apologetic, and he apologized to both Gracia and Elysia, but he avoided David's eyes. Even though he regretted the words, he had said what he was thinking. Ed was worried for Elysia, because only God knows what David could be scheming. Had he promised Elysia money, if she became his girlfriend? Was he going to ruin everything?

"It's called love." Elysia had taken David's hand into her own, and Ed saw how he squeezed her hand gently, as if reassuring her. Ed narrowed his eyes and scoffed, not happy at all for David's answer. Suddenly he felt like an overprotective father. Like Maes. _'Geez, I'm not going to babysit your daughter for you.' _

"You know what, Ed? I think you should find a woman for yourself, so you wouldn't have time to think about other people's relationships." Elysia had said it just to annoy Edward, but when she thought about it, her face lit up to a happy smile. "That's it! Ed, don't worry, I will find someone for you!" The alchemist groaned loudly, not caring to hide his annoyance. True, it could be nice to have a girlfriend, but having Elysia looking for one made Ed sound like he was desperate, which was not true. He had actually considered living the rest of his live alone, and right now it didn't sound like a too bad idea.

"Elysia, no." He said with the most authority in his voice as he could muster, but she was not listening. She had had enough of Edward's comments regarding her relationship with David that she was more than happy to find a distraction for Ed. Especially when it could be so much fun.

"So, what kind of women do you prefer?" She asked, a playful grin playing on her face.

"Elysia, I do not want you to go looking for a girlfriend for me." Gracia's expression caught Ed's eye, and to his shock she was smiling like she was happy for him. To hide his nervousness, Ed took a sip of his drink.

"Aaw, it's okay. It isn't easy to be gay." David said, and Ed spit the water back to his glass. Now he was really seeing red.

Before poor David even had time to blink, there was a huge bang and he was flat on his back, Ed's automail fist touching his nose.

"For your information, I loathe those freaks of nature so much that I would kill one if it would try to flirt with me. So, do you want to take back your words, or will I reconstruct your face for you?" The insane glint in Edward eyes sent shivers down David's spine, and he tried to answer, but his voice got caught in his throat. He just nodded slightly, but Ed only growled in response and gritted his teeth together. His fist clenched around David's collar and afraid of what could happen, Elysia grabbed Ed's automail, trying to pull it away from her boyfriend's face.

"Edward!" She pleaded, but she had no chance against his automail. It looked like David wouldn't get away before Ed snapped, but Gracia acted fast and hit her empty plate to Ed's head. The impact made him rise up in surprise, but he had to lie down right away, because he was seeing stars and the floor seemed to move under him. The plate wasn't hard enough for his thick skull to make him pass out, but the second Ed had let go of David, he squirmed from under him and stood up. Elysia hugged him tightly, relieved to get his boyfriend safe from the ex-state alchemist. For now.

Ed lifted his left hand to his head and grimaced from pain and annoyance. His hand was stained from something warm, and he knew that he was bleeding.

"Fuck it. I wasn't going to do anything", he cursed and stood up, taking support from a chair so the room would stop spinning in his eyes.

"I will not accept such manners in my house, especially from two grown men. I didn't invite you so you could ruin everyone's evening", Gracia looked at Edward with such authority that Ed felt like a 10-years old kid, "and David, could you please respect your elders." David and Edward both nodded, ashamed.

"I'll go get a bandage for that. Come with me, David", Elysia said, anxious to get the two men as far away as possible from each other. But David didn't move, because he was having an intense staring contest with his alchemy professor. "David!" She demanded, and pulled him forcibly to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry for the mess." After David had left, Edward could again concentrate on his surroundings, and he realized that he was surrounded by dozens of plate shards. He bent down slowly and gathered the pieces, careful not to cut his finger. With a quiet clap of his hands he fixed the plate and handed it to Gracia's waiting hands.

"I better leave", he said with a lopsided smile and turned around towards the lobby. Gracia didn't say anything, just followed behind him, the now fixed plate still in her hands.

"So, you're leaving. Oh well, let me clean that wound first." Elysia didn't sound too sad to find out that Ed was leaving, because she didn't like the way David acted around him. He didn't seem like her sweet David at all. When Elysia approached Edward, jealousy flicked for a second in David's eyes, and Gracia caught it.

"Why won't you and David go to your room, Elysia? I'll do that", she said, coming to the rescue and preventing the possible argument. Elysia didn't complain, and the pair soon left Gracia and Edward alone. The adrenaline was still pulsing through his veins, and he didn't feel the stinging pain when Gracia cleaned the wound and bandaged it, but he started to regret his actions now that he had time to think.

"If I'm ever invited again, I'm not surprised if I'm not, I promise to behave better." Gracia laughed and turned Edward around from his shoulders.

"Of course you are. Now, I'll give something for you to take along, you really didn't have any time to eat in peace."

"No, you really don't have to-", Edward stopped in mid-speech when Gracia just turned around, ignoring him and disappearing to the kitchen. He sighed in defeat and acknowledged the fact that he was hungry. His stomach growled in agreement.

Now, that Edward was walking towards the hotel with a warm bundle in his hands, he had time to think about everything. When he found his mind wandering to absolutely ridiculous and unnecessary things, he forced himself to think about tomorrow's lessons and what he would teach. Soon he was so occupied with hundreds of different formulas that he didn't even realize that he was walking, or see the people walking past him. Suddenly he got an odd feeling that everything was not right. His sixth sense was telling him that everything wouldn't go smoothly tomorrow. But he had stopped listening to his sixth sense when he was nearly killed thanks to it.

The morning wasn't any different than the earlier mornings before it, except the fact that this time Ed found his way to his classroom before the bell rang. He was already laughing at his ridiculous sixth sense, when he saw them: five men dressed in black uniforms waiting in front of his classroom door. The students eyed them warily, but they didn't talk to them, only few greeted them with 'good morning' or 'morning, sirs'. David was standing only a meter away from them, his face unreadable, though his eyes gleamed with unexplainable excitement.

Edward didn't even get a change to greet the policemen, when they surrounded him and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Even though he didn't feel threatened, his muscles tensed and he was ready to sprint like a cornered animal.

"Edward Elric, you are under arrest." One of them said, while three others took a hold of him and the fourth hand-cuffed him. So they thought he might try to escape? At least they should've known better than believe that five men could seriously hold him down if he felt like going berserk.

"Aren't you at least going to tell me what for?" Other than that, Edward showed no resistance against his imprisoning. None of the policemen opened their mouths, just kept their faces forward and then started to lead him out of the building. Ed followed, but from the corner of his eye he saw a glimpse of David's face. His lips were spread to a mischievous grin, and Ed's blood boiled in rage. Whatever the damn kid had told the cops, he would pay, sooner or later. The sooner, the better. But he had no time to react and break free so he could snap the bastard's neck, when they already had turned around the corner. The animalistic growl that rumbled in his chest made the youngest policeman shiver, however.

Roy Mustang ran his fingers through his short black hair, eying the papers piled on his work desk and its surroundings. "The piles seem to grow at the same pace I get promotions. But I'm the president!" He said to himself in frustration and threw his pencil across the room. To his dismay he realized that the only pencil he had was that one, so he had to go pick it up if he wanted to get the work done during this decade. When the blood rushed to his numb legs, the stinging feeling made him limp and he made a mental note to take breaks more often and take a little walk around his room. He wasn't that young anymore. The thought made him grimace, because he was afraid of aging. He didn't want to become an old fart that couldn't even remember what he had eaten for breakfast 10 minutes ago or walk a few flights of stairs without stopping to catch his breath. There was still so much he could do for this nation.

Actually, Roy was only 43 and still perfectly healthy, but he had found one grayish hair that had totally freaked him out. He was having his mid-life crisis. No, he didn't remember that he was the youngest president in history; all he could think about was that he didn't have enough time. He was pretty much pathetic at the time.

Roy was half-way bent down to pick his pencil, when someone knocked on his door.

"Sir? Kain Fuery is asking for an audience", Riza informed in her business –like voice from the other side of the door.

"Let him in", Roy said and picked the pencil up with a grunt, spinning it in his fingers. A young man with cropped-short black hair and glasses stepped inside, automatically trying to locate Roy from behind his desk. Roy watched in amusement when Kain looked puzzled, and his lips spread to a smirk when the man realized to look around.

"What is it, Kain?"

"Oh! Oh. Well, uh", Kain re-adjusted his glasses nervously, before continuing; "Edward has been taken into custody." Roy's eyes widened in surprise. There were only one Edward Kain would refer to without the last name.

"_What?"_

* * *

I'm so sorry that it took so long to update! But, here it is... Finally.

**The awesome people who reviewed:**

**DemonRaily**, I don't care if your reviews have some errors, because just the fact that I get positive reviews makes my day! When I "created" David, I hadn't planned him to be Elysia's boyfriend, but when I thought about it, I was just like: "Oh, why not?" And I'm happy that he is, because Edward and David bickering at each other is so fun to write.

**CrimsonKitsune333**, I'm sorry that the update wasn't so soon that we all would have liked it to be... But, it's updated now?

**Cosine**, Coincidence... pfft. Bad karma. XD (Or lame author.) Don't worry, it's Edward who has less patience than David. Unless you're worrying for David, too? Anyways, if they fought seriously, Edward would win. He's a living human weapon.

**AnimeFanGirl167**, Thanks! Mustang didn't show up in class, but don't worry, he will give Ed a little lecture of his own... I think.

**Shigur3'**, I'm sorry that I've kept your waiting. And you had to wait even more for this chapter to come. So sorry. :(

**Skedaddle-San**, Anecdote kind of interesting? Never heard that before. xD Well, thank you for the praises, and sorry for the time you had to wait for the next update.

Thank you all who have reviewed and favorited/alerted my story! I can't promise you that the next update will be next week (I know it won't), but I am going to continue this story!

-Xanta Claus


	6. Chapter 6

Everything was familiar… and yet so different. It wasn't his first time sitting in one of the military vehicles, walking through the huge doors to the other side of the thick brick wall and to the never ending grey corridors that lead to the prison's cells. But it was his first time going there as imprisoned. He wasn't greeted with smiles from his former colleagues and disgust from the prisoners, but with doubtful expressions. Every one of the prisoners recognized him, and their sneered at him, throwing some teasing comments.

'_Why am I put into the same district as them?'_ He thought in disgust, but kept his expression composed, because he knew that resistance wouldn't get him anywhere. Edward stood silently, waiting for something to happen as his escort talked with some other personnel. Even if he seemed to be more interested in his surroundings than the personnel talking next to him, he paid close attention in hopes of finding a reason for him being in here. They said nothing relevant, and he was the first one to notice two guards that approached him and his escort, and Ed took in their appearances. He knew the older guy by face, but the baby-faced officer was new to him.

The guards greeted the other personnel, but avoided Ed's eyes on purpose. The younger one approached him, trying to look professional and calm, but his eyes were darting back and forth between him and the older guard. He was supposed to change his hand-cuffs to something sturdier, so he couldn't clap his hands, but it seemed that his colleagues had made sure that the poor young man would be terrified of ex-state alchemists AKA living human weapons with their stupid stories. Edward rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, I won't bite. Let me help you", and then he spread his hands so wide apart that the hand-cuffs' chain snapped. With a twist of his automail fingers the links were off too, and the personnel stared in awe. With an amused smirk Ed held his hands in front of him, offering his wrists to the young guard, but all hell broke loose. The surrounding personnel drew out their guns and pointed them to his head and shouted orders, absolutely terrified for no reason.

"Aaw, I didn't know those hand-cuffs were so important to you." Ed grinned wickedly, enjoying the situation. Now he understood why the prisoners were cracking jokes around the guards all the time. It was so much fun to see the terror in the guards' eyes when they thought he was going to escape or just go berserk.

"Now now. You aren't misbehaving, are you, Mr. Edward Elric?" His dark voice sent chills down his spine, and Ed grimaced in disgust when he turned around to see the one man whose face he would never forget; Henry Reynolds, the most hated guard of all time. And for a reason: he was known for treating prisoners like slaves. Ed had met him once before, and disliked the man ever since.

Reynolds lifted his eyebrows and eyed the guards that were surrounding Elric. They were terrified that such a strong and famous person as this so called "hero of Amestris" was under their watch, and they couldn't think clearly. The "hero" itself was standing in the middle of it all, but didn't show any hint of fear, which irritated Reynolds. He hated cocky prisoners who dared to look at him like that. Truly, Elric was glaring at him with such intensity that if looks could kill, he would have dropped dead the moment he entered the room.

"Just catch him already and take him to his cell", Reynolds ordered and his dark, strict voice, but the men hesitated. "What are you, a bunch of cowards?" He was starting to lose his temper because of the mocking smirk that had spread to Elric's lips, and he could have sworn that Elric's body was shaking with silent laughter. Thankfully one of his most trusted men, John, grabbed the sturdier handcuffs from the new recruit's hands and clicked them around Elric's wrists.

"You go watch", Reynolds ordered the new recruit, was Alex his name?, and turned on his heels. He needed a cigarette right now, to calm his nerves and also to think what he would come up with for the ex-state alchemist. Because this wasn't over. He couldn't stand prisoners laughing at him. Reynolds got even more agitated when he tried to light the cigarette, but his shaking hands were making it hard. It had been years since a mere prisoner had gotten him this mad.

He was just about to step outside with a now lit cigarette between his lips, when the doors flew open by themselves, of so it seemed to him for a second. The sun was shining so brightly that he couldn't see the face of the man who was standing on the doorstep, but he knew instantly that he was someone with authority from the way he held himself.

"Mr. Reynolds, I think I have told you more than once that I do not accept smoking inside the buildings." That voice he would never forget.

"My apologies Mr. President sir, I was just about to go outside", Reynolds said and bowed his head, but didn't take cigarette off his lips. Oh, how much he despised this man, and the fact that he was here for only one obvious reason made him even more furious.

"Before you do so, tell me where Edward Elric is kept", Roy Mustang demanded, while trying to keep the disgust he was feeling out of his voice. He despised this man, but knew that he was necessary for keeping the most dangerous prisoners in order.

"In the second district, sir. Now, if you excuse me…" Reynolds said and walked past Mustang, his shoulder slightly brushing along his black overcoat and then the man was outside, walking swiftly away from the buildings. Roy shook his head and started walking down the all too familiar corridors. He felt somewhat distressed that there weren't familiar footsteps following right behind him and watching his back. He had told Riza to stay behind and take care of things while he was away, but he had forgotten what it was like to not have her around. He didn't feel like he had freed himself from chains, but like he was every sniper's target. Of course he would never let this show on his face, and he walked towards the second district with determination and such straight bearings that you could get only by serving in the military for decades.

When he passed by, everyone stopped talking and stared, even the prisoners shut their dirty mouths, because they didn't want to get in trouble. "Could you show me the way to Edward Elric's cell?" He asked one of the guards standing in front of the doors that lead to the second district. "O-of course sir, please follow me."

It was a silent walk through the second district. No one said anything, and Roy expected the guard stop at any minute in front of Edward's cell. But the guard walked and walked, and Roy didn't know if he should pity Edward or be angry at the guards that he had been put into a solitary confinement. This was absolutely unnecessary. Edward wasn't stupid enough to try to escape, because even though it would be child's play for him, he would have to run from police for the rest of his life.

Finally, at the very end of the corridor the guard stopped and nodded to the president before leaving him alone in front of the grey, thick door that was between him and his former subordinate. With a sigh he moved the little lid on the door to the side so he could peer inside to the dimly lit cell. There he was: lying on the hard bed, eyes closed, even though he had to know that he wasn't alone.

"Getting comfortable in your new home?" Edward's eyes snapped open and he stared at the door for a second, before his face turned into an expression that was half smirk, half grimace.

"I would invite you in, if I had the keys to the door." Edward didn't sound too sorry about that fact, and his pearly white teeth glowed in the dark as he smirked.

"You still can't stand me, do you Fullmetal?" With a click the thick, heavy door opened and Mustang stepped inside, jingling the keys in his left hand while a smile played on his lips. Ed responded with a growl and sat up on the edge of the bed, resting his arms to his knees.

"Don't call me 'Fullmetal'; I am not military's pet dog anymore."

"You never were." Mustang leaned his back against the wall and left the cell door wide open so light could get to the cell.

"Catch", Mustang said as he searched his pockets for the newspaper he had brought along and threw it to Ed, who caught it at ease. The former state alchemist examined Mustang's face from the corner of his eye while he rolled the newspaper open, but then focused on reading the headlines. And the one headline Mustang wanted him to read wasn't hard to find. Firstly, because it was on the front page. Secondly, because it had his name on it.

THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST REVEALS DANGEROUS ALCHEMY SECRETS AND ATTACKS A STUDENT

He read the page in the faint light that the open door provided, and Mustang waited patiently, watching as his former subordinate's hands started shaking and his teeth ground together. It would be any moment now that Edward would… "That son of a bitch!" The ex-state alchemist cursed and threw the paper with a swift movement of his arms. The paper scattered across the room, but neither Mustang nor Edward watched them to slowly land on the floor. Mustang had his eyes on Ed, who stared at his now closed hands that were clenched to so tight fists that his automail creaked. He was trying to control his temper and not to destroy the whole room. There was no doubt he could do it, even with his hands tied with a steel bar that weighted eight kilos. That kind of aura he had around him right now.

"I can help you out of here, but I need to know if that", he pointed at the remains of the newspaper, "is true." Edward raised his head and looked at Mustang with a serious expression. To Mustang it seemed that Edward wasn't actually seeing him, he was deep in thought. Every word Edward said would get him closer to freedom or his possible new home; this jail. Minutes passed, and Mustang waited like a statue and hardly even blinking he stared at Edward's unreadable face, trying to find the slightest clue when he would get his answer. Suddenly Ed's eyes came back to focus, and they were full of determination as if someone had set them in fire.

"No."

Mustang nodded once, and walked to the open door. He was about to pull it shut behind him, when he turned his head to the side so he could see Edward, and said: "I'll set things into motion." He closed the door with a click and left the Fullmetal alchemist in the darkness of his cold prison, for the time being. But he was sure that Edward wouldn't need to stay there for much longer.

"YOU-! YOU-!" Headmaster Lyon was so furious that he couldn't even speak, so much he was shaking from fury. His head was blood red and he had a dart clenched in his fist so tightly that it nearly snapped in half. "CAN YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME? HIRING THAT BLOODY EXECUSE OF AN ALCHEMIST WAS A DISASTER!" He shouted from the top of his lungs and slammed his fist on his fine oak table, which didn't move even shudder from the impact. All that was damaged was the headmaster's fist, but he was too furious to notice the pain. He was afraid for his school's reputation, and Stones' indifference made him feel sick. How could he be so calm? How _dared_ he be so calm?

Paul Stones thought that his employer would cause himself a heart attack, but kept his mouth shut on that fact, because it would just irritate him more. Not that it would be great if the old geezer would die and he would become the headmaster of the finest school in Amestris.

"There is no need to worry. We will just fire him, apologize to everyone for our big mistake and tell them that we had no idea that Edward Elric was such a maniac. People will understand." Lyon was still mad, but he didn't find anything that he could criticize in Stones' plan. He could only huff loudly and let go of the dart slowly, opening his hand one finger at a time. He turned his back to his vice-headmaster and looked out of the window to the school grounds.

"Start looking for a new professor right away."

"Very well", Stones said, but if Lyon would have turned around, he would have seen from his vice-headmaster's face that he had other plans in mind.

* * *

Wheew, I finally wrote it. Again, my apologies for not updating for a long time! But I am going to complete this fic. **Thanks to all of you who have alerted/favorited/reviewed my story!**

**The awesome people who reviewed!:**

**Shigur3', DemonRaily and Skedaddle-San**, Thank you for your patience, and don't worry, David's gonna suffer. (Insert evil laughter here)

- Xanta Claus


	7. Chapter 7

**The Theory of Alchemy**

Chapter 7

"Did you hear that the president is going to give a speech this evening at the town square?"

"Really? What's it about?"

"I don't know, some rumors say that he's going to speak for Edward Elric."

"Oh yeah, the Fullmetal alchemist is good friends with the president… He'll probably make it out of it like it was nothing."

The word about the speech was spreading rapidly, and eventually it reached also David Keller's ears. He fidgeted nervously in his black leather sofa and wondered what he would do if the president wanted to talk with the one who told about it all to the magazines. He wouldn't stand a chance against the president when it came to manipulating: Roy Mustang would somehow make everyone loathe him instead of Edward Elric. He would lose his friends, his self-confidence and his power over people. But at least he would have Elysia…

"Son?" David was so deep in thought that when he heard his father's voice he startled and stood up so fast that the room spun in his eyes. His heart beat faster than normally and he realized that he was breathing heavily. Embarrassed of this, he tried to calm down and look as calm and collected as his father in front of him.

"Yes, father?" Nevertheless of his attempts to calm down his voice was higher than usual because of the stress and fright. This wasn't left unnoticed by his father and Clark Keller walked to his son so he could place a hand on his shoulder. "There is no need to worry. I will do everything I can so that Edward Elric will lose his job." The smile that spread to Clark's lips was so threatening that it send shivers down his own son's back.

The town square was always full of life, but today the voices were even louder and the crowd at least four times bigger than usual. All the casualness of a normal day was gone: people were moving sternly, anxiously, because everyone was here out of curiousness. They wanted know what was so important that the president would announce so suddenly that he would be giving a speech. When the rumors of the most famous ex-state alchemist appearing started to spread, it seemed that the whole city tried to fit in to the square. Hundreds of thousands pairs of foot were tramping the light brown pavement, and all the sounds joined to one deafening hum. In the northern end of the square was a huge stand where the president would be standing in a few minutes. The huge clock tower on the eastern side of the square would declare loudly the passing and the start of another new hour. At five o'clock the president would climb up the few stairs up to the stand.

_Dong…_ The loud, low but clear sound of the clock rang over the square, covering all the other voices under it. The smallest of the children sitting on their parents shoulders covered their ears and the babies that had yet no knowledge of the place where their ears were or the coordination to place their hands on them, cried out loudly.

_Dong…_ Edward Elric raised his head up to watch the huge hands of the clock and clenched his hands into fists. He was nervous, and he hated the fact that there was no way to predict how this would end or how the people would react.

_Dong…_ Roy Mustang turned his head towards his former subordinate and said in a calm tone: "Focus, Fullmetal. Just follow my instructions and everything will work out." He hid his anxiousness well, and it wouldn't be as a nerve-wrecking experience to him as it would be to Ed, as he had stood in front of huge masses of people numerous times. Edward on the other hand had isolated himself entirely for ten years or so. And Roy Mustang wasn't the one accused for those crimes.

_Dong…_ The president of Amestris turned to face the stairs and started walking with a determined expression. His mind was focused only on the speech he was about to give. There was nothing that could disrupt him right now.

_Dong._

Mustang's foot landed on the stand with a heavy thud, and the people fell silent as if someone had given them a sign, and everyone turned their eyes to the stand if they hadn't already been staring at it. It was impossible for all of the people to see Mustang standing in the northern end of the square, but the microphone he was given would make sure that everyone could hear him.

"_Good evening to you, citizens of Amestris." _Roy Mustang's calm voice, strengthened by the microphone, reached the very end of the square and even further. David had left his window open and now he had stuck his head out of the window of his family's apartment. He was staring to the direction of the square, though he couldn't see it except for the huge clock tower. The door opened, but David didn't notice, because he had to concentrate so he could hear Roy Mustang's voice over the noisy town.

"David?" Asked a hesitant voice, and David frowned. "Leave me alone", he said and glanced over his shoulder, only to see his girlfriend standing at the door.

"Elysia! I'm sorry, I thought…" But he wasn't given time to finish when Elysia walked swiftly forward and David spread his arms, ready to hug her and hear words "everything is going to be alright", but all he felt was a sudden, splitting pain on his left cheek. First he didn't understand what had happened and he raised his hand to his face, touching his now red cheek as if to check if the pain was real. He could only stare at Elysia, who had clenched her hands to fist and glared at him like he was worthless scum.

"How _could_ you?" She wasn't screaming, but her voice sounded venomous and her eyes were blazing with hatred. Such controlled anger terrified David more than shouting would have. "How could you do that to Ed?" She repeated and when David didn't answer, her eyes watered, ready to spill tears to her beautiful, delicate skin.

"I believed in you, thought you were a caring, gentle person, but now I have seen what you can really do. Why couldn't you understand that you were digging your own grave when you started picking a fight with him? How did you let such hatred fog your mind? Ed was right about you." The tears were falling now to the expensive carpet, but Elysia didn't wipe them away, she kept staring at David, who was slowly recovering from this both physical and mental blow. It was his turn to get angry now.

"So you're siding up with him, too? Can't you see that he's full of himself and doesn't give a damn about anything? How could _you_ have someone like him as a friend? Why aren't you supporting me, your boyfriend, to whom you should be faithful?" David closed the small gap between the two of them and his face was only a centimeter from Elysia's. She shuddered, but didn't back down, stubborn as she was. She was still looking down on him, which made David even angrier in his moody state.

"Don't you dare to look at me like that!" He shouted and slapped her jaw, snapping her head to the side. Elysia grew silent, looking at David with both unbelieving and hating eyes before turning on her heels and walking to the door.

"I've said everything I came to say", she said coldly, but she was trying to swallow her tears.

"Look, Elysia, I'm sorry, I-" David reached towards her with his hand, a painful look on his face, but she wasn't looking at him anymore and would never look again. "It's over", and with that she opened the door, stepping out and slamming it shut with so much force that an extremely expensive painting fell to the floor. David sunk to the sofa and buried his face to his hands, now suppressing tears of his own. How could his life be ruined in few days by only one person?

Back at the square, Roy Mustang, the president of Amestris, had finished talking about other matters and was ready to start discussing the greatest reason for this event to be arranged.

"I believe most of us have already heard of the accusations that the papers have put upon Edward Elric, and many are wondering if they are true. When Amestris became a democracy, I promised that no former state alcehmist would get treated differently from anyone else and made them vow they would not use their power unjustly. Now I will give the former state alchemist the chance to defend his vows and clear his name. Regarding the assault happened towards David Keller by Edward Elric at the Hughes' residence, we have a witness who lives there and was with them the whole time. Miss Hughes, could you please come up here?"

Edward could only stare at Elysia, who had just seconds ago appeared next to him. There were fresh tears on her cheeks and her hands were shaking. And why was her face swollen? Had someone hit her? His eyes filled with rage and he opened his mouth to speak, to ask who had done that to her, but Elysia shook her head. Edward tried to calm down, but he didn't like the direction this event was going. Why was she, of all people, going up there to say the words that would risk her reputation? He wasn't worth it.

"Elysia-", Ed started, but Elysia shook her head again and smiled a wavering smile to stop him from saying anything and like Mustang, she walked calmly up the stairs to the stand.

People were literally standing on their toes to catch a glimpse of this important witness and those few who were close enough were surprised to see a young, nervous woman standing next to the president. Elysia Hughes was looking at the sea of people in both awe and fear. She was so nervous that she felt like she couldn't produce any words from her mouth even if she wanted and her feet seemed to be just barely strong enough to support her weight. To her it felt like the crowd was skeptical about her, they doubted her, and now she finally understood how Ed had felt in his teens. It seemed as she was shrinking and the crowd was getting bigger, louder. She felt the need to go closer to the man she had referred as her uncle for longer than she could remember, but she couldn't do that when so many eyes were watching her every move. She cannot show the close friendship she shared with the president, even though Roy Mustang has been her father-figure all these years.

Roy could see and sense Elysia's anxiety, but there was nothing else he could do that smile to her.

"Miss Hughes, the assault is supposed to have happened in your home. Is that correct?" Elysia nodded, but realized that people couldn't see her gestures, so she gave a shaky yes as an answer. The crowd was silent, as if to hear her words better, but there were no need for the silence, because her voice rang loud and clear over the square from the huge speakers.

"Why were Edward Elric and David Keller visiting your home?"

"We- we had invited them for dinner." Elysia had never heard her voice before like everyone else heard it, and if she hadn't been so nervous, she would have wondered why her voice didn't sound the same as the one she heard inside her head.

"Did Edward Elric attack David Keller while they were at your home?" The absolute silence over the square was making Elysia nervous, and she knew that the answer she would now give would decide everything.

Edward Elric had a death grip on his chair that he was sitting on, half holding him from going up there to save Elysia from this burden and half wishing she would say the word already and everything would be over.

"No." Roy Mustang smiled approvingly to Elysia and turned to talk to the crowd. "But they did argue." Roy was slightly surprised to hear Elysia's voice behind him, but he didn't show it on his face. "And what were they arguing about?"

"Alchemy, mister president. Mr. Keller asked Edward Elric about the philosopher's stone and Mr. Elric said that he would never tell someone like Mr. Keller about it. His words aggravated him so much that David Keller started a verbal fight. My mother had to cut in and then Mr. Elric decided to leave, but Mr. Keller stayed with us." People started whispering to each other the second Elysia fell silent and the loud hum filled Roy's ears. He was impressed that Elysia could stay this calm and nodded in approval. The only things that revealed Elysia's anxiety were her flushed cheeks, her eyes were filled with determination to save her friend. '_You've grown up well'_, Roy thought and turned to the crowd again. "I think this is a good time to ask if Edward Elric would kindly join us." The hum died down at once, and again, people tried to stand as tall as they could to see _him_; the Fullmetal alchemist, hero of the people and war and the one who was told to be striking in personality and looks with his blond hair and matching golden eyes.

Elysia almost expected that the single women in the crowd would sigh at the sight of him, but the silence and tension was so thick that you could cut it with a knife. Like in a cliché novel, a single gust of wind chose to blow over the square the moment Edward Elric had walked up the stairs to the stand, catching his coat's long hems and his long hair. He stood there for a brief moment, scanning the square with his golden eyes. He had probably never seen a crowd this big and he was a bit overwhelmed by it. He blinked, once, twice, and then he snapped out of it and walked to Elysia's side. He placed a hand on her shoulder, smiled at her and whispered to her ear:

"Thank you, I will take it from here."

* * *

HAH! I PROMISED I WOULD POST IT THIS WEEK, AND IT'S STILL SUNDAY! (At least in Finland) But geez... This chapter is much much shorter than the others and I took my sweet time to write it. So sorry, but one word that will explain it all: S-C-H-O-O-L. Okay, well, I was a bit lazy too. But still...!

I wonder if I have lost half of my awesome readers because of the lack of new chapters, but those who still read The Theory of Alchemy, THANK YOU :D

And **the awesome people who reviewed**

**Demonraily, **I love the fact that you always review! And David did suffer in this chapter, didn't he? :D But this isn't where his agony ends... * Insert evil laughter. *

**Shigur3'**, Thanks to you for sticking with my story this far! And I hope you will continue sticking around like a cute Ed-sticker. * Randomness from tired Xanta. *

**ninjagueenxxxx**, Thank you for your compliments, they warm my heart ^^

**Kame-tan**, Yes, he did lie. :D

**Ali Phantom**, You have no idea how fun it is to write suffering!David.

**bluedog10**, Made you **? I don't understand, but I guess it doesn't matter. :D Yes, and Stones is weird. I guess I don't know myself if he is good or bad. I know! He has a split personality! XD

THANK YOU ALL and try to be patient, because I can promise that the next chapter will not be up soon. (Damn that sounds mean D:)

~Xanta Claus


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